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This Week's Updates:
CfA Urges IRS to Investigate Political Activities of Texas Nonprofit
On Monday, CfA submitted a complaint to the IRS requesting an investigation into the political activities of the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF), a 501(c)(3) organization that appears to have been flouting campaign restrictions and violating its nonprofit status. Simply put, 501(c)(3)s are not allowed to endorse or favor specific candidates, nor can they encourage political fundraising. Our complaint focused on TPPF’s “2022 Victory Summit,” a donor retreat that only featured Republican candidates and was billed as opportunity to interact with “top conservative leaders.” During the event, TPPF staff encouraged candidates to discuss their campaigns and disparage their opponents – and they did. CfA’s complaint was covered by the Dallas Morning News and Roll Call.
CfA Executive Director Michelle Kuppersmith said, “This was not a slip up by a single speaker who didn’t know any better. Rather, TPPF flagrantly encouraged and engaged in political activity, despite knowing the group’s tax-exempt status forbids such conduct. Given TPPF’s apparently lengthy pattern of political campaign activities, the IRS has a duty to investigate. If the agency determines that any of TPPF’s actions do in fact constitute political campaign participation or intervention, TPPF’s tax-exempt status should be revoked”
True the Vote Caught in Ukrainian Hospital Scam
Last year, the Texas-based organization True the Vote pivoted from pushing election denial conspiracies to fundraising for a “Freedom Hospital” in Ukraine. However, an investigation by ProPublica and the Dallas Morning News revealed that True the Vote’s leadership continued to collect money for the project long after it was abandoned. CfA urged the IRS to investigate True the Vote’s partisan activities surrounding the 2020 election, when it announced a “partnership” with the Georgia GOP to engage in voter intimidation. Now, the walls may be closing in on this troubled nonprofit, which has failed to prove to claims of fraud and is being sued for defamation by an election software company.
Hey Google, What’s the “Sherman Act”?
The Justice Department is suing Google for its dominance in the digital advertising space, which it argues is the result of anticompetitive behavior and exclusionary conduct that prevented competitors from entering the sector. CfA’s Tech Transparency Project has zeroed in on the many problems with Google’s ad platform, from its monetization of conspiracy websites to its failure to protect users from exploitive ads. Google’s search advertisements, which fall under a different category than those placed on third-party websites, are already the subject of a separate DoJ antitrust lawsuit that is expected to go to trial in September.
What We're Reading:
George Santos, Sam Bankman-Fried, and Citizens United
A web of financial secrecy surrounds Rep. George Santos, made possible by Supreme Court decisions that ushered anonymous spending into elections. Sam Bankman-Fried, the disgraced CEO of FTX, seems to have taken advantage of the same system to funnel campaign contributions to politicians on both sides of the aisle.
Warren, Wyden Push Regulator for Crypto Audit Crackdown
Accounting scandals have rocked the crypto industry and blindsided its investors. Now, Sens. Ron Wyden and Elizabeth Warren are urging the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board to ensure that its registered auditors are examining crypto clients with integrity and independence.
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